THE appointment of vice-chancellors to public universities on partisan political considerations, sidestepping the relevant legislation, continues to erode the reputation of the institutions of tertiary education and degrade the quality of education and research. The University of Dhaka Order 1973, for an example, stipulates that the chancellor, the president of the country, appoints the vice-chancellor for four years from a panel of three which the senate elects; and, the proposition is open to re-appointment. In the case of vacancy because of leave or illness, the chancellor makes an interim arrangement. The legislation is hardly honoured. Whilst the aberration, which has almost been typical for ages, often stops merit, academic excellence and administrative competence from being at play, resulting in the degradation of the institutions of higher education, this also brings in corruption and favouritism, leading to irregularities in teacher appointment, promotion and staff appointment. The reliance on political loyalty incentivises academics to take part in political manoeuvring rather than fostering academic excellence and stops the institutions from becoming centres of independent learning.
The education ministry on April 13 appointed the vice-chancellor to the Jashore University of Science and Technology. He is reported to have been a leader of the University of Dhaka teachers’ white panel, which is leaning towards the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. New Age reports that the ministry has not taken any recommendation from the search committee that the ministry set up on April 1 for the vice-chancellor’s appointment. Such search committees are also considered to have no legal basis as they are set up on executive decisions. The government appointed vice-chancellors to eight public universities in March, not based on the vice-chancellors’ panel nominated by university senates or any recommendations from the search committee. The interim administration in May 2025 set up a search committee on the appointment of vice-chancellors. But, the current University of Dhaka vice-chancellor, a marketing department teacher of the university and the current University of Rajshahi vice-chancellor are on the committee. Such a proposition hardly leaves any scope for the priority of competence over partisan loyalty. When the education minister announced the appointment of vice-chancellors to seven public universities on March 16, what he said, after he had been asked about partisan appointment of the vice-chancellors, meant that political engagement is no disqualification for anyone. It is true that political engagement is no disqualification, but the consideration of that political engagement as a factor in the appointment of vice-chancellors is degrading.
The government should, therefore, keep its political hands off the process for the appointment of vice-chancellors in the interests of academic freedom, university autonomy and fair administration. It should, rather, make the process stringently deterrent, keeping to the university legislation, for political interference.
